The Passion of Peter

Tuesday, I got together with a few other folks in the Chapel for Secret Church. It's our little spin off of Pastor Dr. David Platt's model to come and study God's Word. We were finishing up Mark 8 and came to this interaction between Jesus and Peter:

"And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, 'Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.'" (Mark 8:31-33)

Jesus, are you serious? This passage gets a ton of play because of the sharpness with which Jesus comes down on Peter, but truly consider who Peter was and the character of this fisherman as we come to know him throughout Jesus' ministry. This is the ultra passionate, no sitting on the fence, "ready, shoot, aim" disciple. This is the one that repeatedly confirms who Jesus is and continually puts forth as much effort as possible to make sure that Jesus knows he loves Him. This is the guy who just before this passage emphatically proclaims Jesus' Name. And Jesus said that?!


I can't even imagine what Peter must have been thinking.


Or maybe I can. Like that time that I was so sure that I was supposed to take that ministry position. Or that time that I thought, for sure, it was God's calling for me to start that ministry for college students. Then there was that time that I sent that letter to my biggest enemy and got completely rejected even though I was positive that God told me to do it. Or the time that... Or the other time that... Or that time that I was so sure... etc, etc, etc. So maybe I can imagine what Peter felt like.

Have you ever felt like Peter? 

That moment where you go, "Ummmm... can we just forget that I said that?" Those moments that we all look back and go, "I wish I would have thought about that before I said what I said." 


I'm thankful for Peter today. I resonate with Peter more times than not. I think many more lessons come out of this passage. What are some that you see?

Friday Thoughts: Everything is Meaningless...

So, I have been studying Ecclesiastes for the past week or so, and I am convinced that Solomon would not have been a very good counselor. I mean, here's a guy that was known as the wisest man to ever live and spits out this book, authors many proverbs, a number of the psalms not to mention every newlywed's favorite book, Song of Songs. I mean come on, the heir of David. DAVID. Not his thrid son or something, who killed for the right of heir. This is David's son. The King of Israel. And all this guy can do is reflect on the meaninglessness of everything!

As much as Solomon offers a number of reasons and examples as to why everything under the sun is meaningless, Solomon allows us to see some huge insights into the meaning of life. Even through his, seemingly, negative or cynical rants about the things of this world, there is one obvious theme: We should forget about all the things that seem to dominate our lives in this world and focus on things that further the kingdom of God. What are we doing today that will bring us and those around us closer to Heaven? Closer to Christ?

One way that we do that is by simply loving. Not loving people to the point that they want to see Jesus. Just loving. And sometimes love comes in many different forms: attention, money, sending a note, etc. However, the biggest way that we can bring people closer to Christ is simply by "BE-ing" who He has created us to be.

One of the ways that you can express God's love is by participating in the KIN Silent Auction that will begin next week at NMC and online at www.helpingkidsinneed.com and share LOVE with an area of the world that needs to feel LOVE. Our Senior High Pastor, Derry has posted a great informational post on how you can get involved.

Quick Clarification on LOVE: I want to clarify that I don't mean LOVE with strings attached. Christ never said, I want you to feed the homeless and then tell them that they need to accept your version of Jesus. He never said even told the woman at the well that she needed to "accept [him]" and then sin no more. He loved her and told her to sin no more. By "BE-ing" sometimes we just need to offer that sandwich, offer that TV for that auction, spend time with that widow, and just BE there for what God has given you the opportunity for.

May we "BE" who God has created us to be and follow those passions, promptings, and desires today. May we understand and accept the situations that he has made us to BE in.